Singer Asha Bhosle, the last remaining living legend of Indian film music, passed away on Sunday at Breach Candy Hospital. Throughout her 70-year career, the 92-year-old artist captured the hearts of fans across the nation and the world. Her death marks the end of a golden era, leaving an irreplaceable void in the global world of playback singing.
- Her Early Hindi Film Chorus Songs Were Released in 1948
- Asha Bhosle Received her First National Award for the Song ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’
- Asha Bhosle as the Artist who has Recorded the Highest Number of Songs in the History of Music
- She Launched a Chain of Restaurants Named ‘Asha’, Which Currently Operates Across 14 Different Locations in Five Countries
Confirming this tragic news to the media, her son, Anand Bhosle, stated that her mortal remains would be kept for a final viewing on Monday at 11:00 AM at her residence, ‘Casa Grande,’ located in Lower Parel. The funeral will be conducted with full state honours tomorrow at 4:00 PM at Shivaji Park.
Asha Bhosle had been admitted to the hospital on Saturday due to cardiac and respiratory ailments, which subsequently led to multi-organ failure. Born on September 8, 1933, in Sangli, Asha Bhosle was the third daughter of Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar. At the age of 10, in the year 1943, she sang her first song, ‘Chala Chala Nav Bala,’ for the film Majha Bal.
Her Early Hindi Film Chorus Songs Were Released in 1948
Her early Hindi film chorus songs were released in 1948, including ‘Sawan Aaya’ (Chunariya) and another track from the film Andhon Ki Duniya. Her first solo Hindi film song was for the movie Raat Ki Rani (1949). Asha’s historic musical collaboration with composer O.P. Nayyar began with the film Naya Daur (1957).
The last song Asha sang with him was ‘Chain Se Humko Kabhi Aapne Jeene Na Diya’ (from the film Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye, 1974). She was honoured with a Filmfare Award for this song, even though it was not picturized in the film. Her subsequent collaboration with music director R.D. Burman, whom she later married, blossomed while they were working on the film Teesri Manzil (1966).
Asha once recounted how she was practicing the spirited tune of ‘Aa Aa Aaja!’ while sitting in the back seat of her car; her driver, hearing her voice crack with the intense vocalization, turned around in alarm to ask if she was feeling unwell! Her collaborations with R.D. Burman and Gulzar yielded numerous cinematic and non-cinematic classics, such as Khushboo, Ijaazat, Namkeen, Khoobsurat, and Dil Padosi Hai.
Asha Bhosle Received her First National Award for the Song ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’
Asha Bhosle received her first National Award for the song ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ from Khayyam’s masterpiece, Umrao Jaan (1981). She received her second National Award for ‘Mera Kuch Saaman’ (Ijaazat, 1986). Her international collaborations, with artists such as Boy George, Michael Stipe, the Kronos Quartet, Nelly Furtado, and Code Red, began in the 1980s with a group called the ‘West India Company’.
In 1997, the British band Cornershop paid tribute to her through their song ‘Brimful of Asha’. In 2005, the Black-Eyed Peas’ hit song ‘Don’t Funk with My Heart’ was inspired by two of Asha’s songs. In 1997, she became the first Indian female singer to be nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2001, she was honoured with the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’. I
Asha Bhosle as the Artist who has Recorded the Highest Number of Songs in the History of Music
In 2011, ‘Guinness World Records‘ recognised Asha Bhosle as the artist who has recorded the highest number of songs in the history of music; a total of 11,000 songs, including solos, duets, and chorus tracks across various languages, are credited to her name. Even advancing age could not deter her from experimenting with various facets of her talent.
In 2002, Asha composed the music for an original album titled ‘Aap Ki Asha’. In 2013, at the age of 79, she stepped in front of the camera as an actress in the Marathi film ‘Mai’, alongside her niece, Padmini Kolhapure. Asha Bhosle was also renowned within the film fraternity as an excellent cook.
She Launched a Chain of Restaurants Named ‘Asha’, Which Currently Operates Across 14 Different Locations in Five Countries
Her friends and colleagues would eagerly await her invitations, particularly when the menu featured non-vegetarian delicacies. In 2002, driven by this very passion, she launched a chain of restaurants named ‘Asha’, which currently operates across 14 different locations in five countries, including the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UK (Birmingham and Manchester). The restaurant’s menu features her own favorite dishes, with a special emphasis on Mumbai’s street food.
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